Category: Blog

Incentive travel is on the upswing!

Incentive travel is a tool used by many businesses to motivate teams to reach higher goals, either to increase sales, build positive corporate culture or both. When those goals are reached, the team members who qualify are included on a vacation planned and provided by the company.

Nearly 46% of companies use some form of incentive travel to motivate their teams, and it can be a great way to reward them when they’ve reached the goal. But there are a few things you should keep in mind if you’re planning an incentive travel program.

One of the biggest pieces of any successful event is the speaker. The speaker will either be a complete grand slam, leaving the audience with something to talk about, or they will be some version of a dud, leaving the audience with something to talk about.

And you ALWAYS want the audience to have great things to say about your event.

But finding the perfect speaker can be difficult. If you haven’t found the perfect speaker, these tips might help.

Check your budget.

You can’t hire Bill Gates if your budget won’t allow it. And while some people equate high price with better quality, that’s not always the case. Alternatively, a good speaker might be worth shaving a little off of other areas in the budget. Ultimately, your event budget is a reflection of your priorities. If you think a powerful speaker is important, budget appropriately.

There are many reasons to get away as a company: team building, creating enthusiasm for the company, and fun! And while some people don’t feel the cost is worth the benefits, others are convinced that spending that time in a new place helps forge stronger bonds between employees and commitment to the company.

Here are just a few things to keep in mind when planning your company’s destination meeting:

1. Location, location, location. People sometimes think the price/cost of the hotel should be the deciding factor in where to host the meeting. But in reality, location is the most important. Why? Because there should be more to a destination meeting than just sitting in a conference room. That’s part of the reason for getting away in the first place! Local activities, entertainment, restaurants. These are all important things to consider when choosing the “home base” of the meeting.

If you’re like most event organizers, you’re going to use both your core team and temporary staff for large events. For many companies, associations and nonprofits, this is a key reason they work with event planners like Plan Ahead Events — we have the team and the experience to scale a team when the time comes.
But if you’re looking to hire your own staff, keep these tips in mind:

As any experienced event planner will tell you, the one decision you make that has the biggest impact on your budget and overall event experience is the choice of venue.

And it’s not just the “feel” attendees will get at your chosen location. Be sure you’re comparing apples to apples…

What is included in the price?

Typically, a venue will have control of a few key pieces of your event puzzle. Catering, technology (think wi-fi strength/coverage) and audio/visual (equipment, lighting, etc). No matter what type of event you’re planning, this has a major affect on your budget.